Home Gardening

North Mississippi Gardening Tips
January, 2001

LAWNS

Thankfully, at this time of year lawnmowers are retired to the garage or shed. That doesn't relieve us of some lawn duties, however. Keeping deciduous leaves off the lawn area is very important. If you have procrastinated raking those leaves off, get busy! Besides the obvious benefits of having thankful neighbors and a neat yard, removing matted, wet leaves from the lawn will let needed air and sunlight reach the turf. This is particularly important on cool-season grasses.

It's too late to apply preemergence herbicides to control winter weeds. If you failed to do this last August and September, your lawn probably has a thriving population of annual bluegrass, henbit and other undesirables. The game now is one of tolerance or applications of postemergence herbicides to control existing winter annual weeds. Postemergence herbicides are most effective if applied to seedlings less than 3 inches tall. Wait until most weeds are 2 to 4 inches tall before application.

I, personally, can tolerate anything that wishes to grow in my turf as long as I can ride over it with the lawn mower. For others, less "laid-back" about weedy lawns, the application of chemical herbicides is a handy tool. However, as environmentally conscientious folks we would do well to remember that keeping our lawns healthy through good management practices such as proper pH, fertilization, irrigation and mowing frequency and height does help control weeds, therefore cutting down use of herbicides.

SHRUBS AND TREES

Narrowleaf evergreens such as junipers, arborvitae, pine, cedar and spruce can be tip pruned now. Do not prune any branch beyond the foliage area into the "dead zone", as new growth may not occur due to the lack of latent buds on the remaining branch stub. I have a good example of this in my own yard. A false cypress (chamaecyparis) was attacked by swarms of grasshoppers last fall. The situation was further aggravated by bagworms. My half-hearted attempts of picking and stomping the bags or shaking the branches to scatter the grasshoppers did little to save my little tree. The foliage was completely stripped and the tree now stands as a silent reminder of a gardener's neglect. It would, however, make an excellent brush for a chimney sweep.

You can prune broadleaf evergreens such as Burford's holly, photinia, viburnum, ligustrum and cleyera late in February. You should not prune broadleaf evergreens which offer early spring bloom, such as azaleas, until after flowering in late spring. Deciduous spring flowering shrubs including forsythia, kerria, weigela and spirea should not be pruned until after flowering unless you don't want a lot of spring flowers! February is typically thought of as the month to plant trees. Before purchasing a tree decide where it will be planted and what purpose it will serve-shade, screen, windbreak, etc. The biggest mistake the homeowner makes is not considering the ultimate height and spread of that tree. Choose a location that will not interfere with underground or overhead utility lines, driveways, walkways and foundations. The Extension publication "Selecting Landscape Plants" obtained from your local county Extension office can aid in your selection process as can a knowledgeable nurseryman.

FRUITS AND NUTS

Fruit trees, bunch grapes and muscadines can be pruned now. Keep a close eye on the buds. As they begin to swell it's time to fertilize. This typically doesn't occur until late March in north Mississippi. We have been known to have early springs! So, the best indicator is to watch the buds. It wastes nitrogen fertilizer to apply it when the plant is not growing. Your local county Extension office has free publications on recommended pruning techniques, fertilizer rates and frequency for fruit trees, bunch grapes and muscadines.

February brings the arrival of home orchard plants at most garden centers, farmer's co-ops, and nursery outlets. Blueberries, grapes, pecans, blackberries, muscadines, peaches, apples, plums and nectarines are just a few of the choices facing the homeowner. Be sure and select a variety that is recommended for Mississippi. Your county Extension office or a knowledgeable salesperson can help you with your selection. When planting your selection, the hole should be 3 to 5 times as wide as the root ball, but not any deeper than the rootball. The roots should rest upon undisturbed soil. Water well and do no pruning other than removing dead or broken branches.

VEGETABLES

For those of you who like to grow your own selections of tomatoes and peppers, one question often asked is, "What is the earliest date I should seed my tomatoes and peppers to have a good transplant ready to set out in the garden when the weather warms?" The key to this puzzle is "when the weather warms." The median date of the last spring freeze for north Mississippi usually falls between the first and tenth of April. It is recommended that these cold tender plants be put in the ground no earlier than late April or early May when the chance for a cold snap is unlikely. If you want to gamble and what gardener worth his salt doesn't, you can put them in the ground earlier and say your prayers, but be prepared to blast outside with blankets, heat lights and other protective paraphernalia when Jack Frost comes nipping at your plants. Regardless when you plan to transplant outdoors, the way to calculate your seeding date is to count backwards from your preferred transplant date approximately 6 weeks for tomatoes and 8 weeks for peppers. Seed on that date and hope for good weather in 6 to 8 weeks! It is a little too early to be worried about seeding tomatoes and peppers. Concentrate on the cool season vegetables for now. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and other cool season vegetable transplants are available now at some garden centers and farmer's co-ops this month. Early-bird gardeners try to get their cabbage, collard and broccoli plants out as soon as possible. English peas, spinach, head lettuce, beets, radishes, and mustard can be seeded late in February. Sometimes they make it and sometimes they don't. It all depends on our capricious early spring weather that can be typified by a 40-degree drop in temperature in just a few hours.

Irish potatoes and onion sets or transplants can be put in the ground now. When planting seed potatoes be sure that each chunk of potato you cut from the "seed potato" has a least one eye or bud from which the stem of the plant will grow. For you novice gardeners, the eye should be "looking up" when planted so the potato can see which way to go! Remember the book entitled "Don't Bend Over In The Garden Granny, You Know Them Taters Got Eyes!" by Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard. Think about that the next time you're bent over digging taters! To be safe, I usually wait until late in February or the first of March to get my cool season vegetable garden started. One limiting factor for early spring planting other than our yo-yo weather is when the soil will be dry enough to till. One way to get around this is to grow your cool season vegetables in raised beds. These beds will be workable and ready to plant before beds prepared at existing ground level.

FLOWERS AND BULBS

This is the month of the narcissus. For a garden still in the cold grasp of winter nothing brings warmth and cheer better than the golden trumpets of the sweetly fragrant old-fashioned buttercup. These old-time favorites are forever unless you flood them or cover them with concrete. Many a bulb I have rescued from old homesteads threatened by the rolling juggernaut of our expanding highway system. It is a well-known fact that plants obtained in this manner will thrive only if you feel no guilt for having pilfered them from someone else's property. Seriously, it is always better to ask permission before going on to what looks like abandoned or doomed property to dig plants. To keep your narcissus healthy and happy for generations to come fertilize them with a fertilizer specially formulated for bulbs. There are two ideal times to fertilize spring-flowering bulbs. Once in the fall around the time you would plant bulbs and again in the spring as the foliage begins to emerge. If flowering declines, it may be due to overcrowding or shade. Hyacinths are another welcome harbinger of spring. These bulbs do well in North Mississippi coming back for years. Fertilize them and other spring bulbs, such as crocus, Dutch iris, snowdrops and others as recommended for narcissus. Most spring bulbs do better in full sun, but they can tolerate light shade.

Cold hardy seedlings like larkspur, bachelor buttons, poppies, sweet rocket (hesperis), and annual rudbeckia are already up by the thousands in my garden. Some I sowed. Most I didn't. Larkspur, sweet rocket and the rudbeckia are most prolific. If you have these reseeders in your garden you know now is the time to be unmerciful in thinning these or otherwise they can be garden thugs crowding out other more demure, less aggressive species. Having these old-fashioned favorites in your garden can be a chore, but who can resist their quaint charm when in flower. Although this month can bring some crown growth of established perennials such as daylilies, Shasta daisies, and others, resist the temptation to fertilize. You don't want to spur tender new growth that will be susceptible to frost. Better to wait until later in the spring when the weather is more settled. Enjoy those feathery plumes of your ornamental grasses this month, because next month you will need to cut them to the ground before the emergence of new spring foliage begins.

CHECKLIST

1. Cut branches of forsythia, quince, and spirea when buds just begin to show color. Bring indoors to a warm room, put into a vase and they will reward you with cheery blooms.

2. When shopping for cool season vegetable transplants pass over the cabbage plants with large, woody stems. They will generally flower instead of making a head. Broccoli plants that appear hardened or show a small center bud will not be productive. Large onion transplants and sets larger than a dime will flower rather than bulb. Use them for green onions (scallions).

3. Transplant suckers from shrubs like kerria, spirea, and clove currant now.

4. It's not to late to take soil samples from the vegetable garden, lawn or flower beds. There is still time for amelioration to occur if soil requires limestone to decrease acidity.

5. Clean the old fronds off the asparagus bed and apply a layer of good compost. The spears will soon be emerging. As the spears begin to peek through add a light application of complete fertilizer to stimulate growth.

6. If you order seed by mail, place those orders now for your summer vegetable and flower garden! Mail-order seed suppliers can run out of your favorite variety as spring gets nearer.

Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes North Mississippi Gardening Tips monthly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.